Our first modular build shortlisted for leading regional housing award

Great news! Our first modular development has been shortlisted for a leading regional housing award.

The scheme of twelve, energy efficient, two-bedroom apartments is transforming a brownfield site on Stephenson Street in Oldham’s Waterhead neighbourhood. It is now in the running to pick up the award for Best Approach to Modular Housing at the Northern Housing Awards.

We're delivering this £1.4m development in partnership with Rochdale-based modular building specialists, MultiBuild UK. It is part of our strategy to deliver 1,100 affordable, high quality, low carbon homes in Oldham and surrounding areas 2020-2026 to help meet growing demand, with 700 homes still to be delivered.

Using modern methods of construction (MMC), MultiBuild UK has manufactured the apartments at its facility in Heywood.

Each home has been fabricated at the factory – complete with timber studwork internal walls, pre-fitted insulation and plasterboard, plumbing, electrics and kitchen – before being delivered to the Stephenson Street site, lifted into place with a crane and assembled by MultiBuild UK’s team.

Brickwork is now being added to the exterior of the three-storey building, together with a truss roof, to give the appearance of a traditionally built block of apartments and work is ongoing to finish the interiors.

To help prevent fuel poverty and support our customers to save money on utility bills and minimise their carbon footprint, the homes will be EPC rated B.

Other benefits of MultiBuild’s modular system include faster speed of delivery, with much needed homes ready for customers 60% faster than using traditional building methods. It also offers greater levels of efficiency as components are precision engineered in the factory setting cutting construction waste to 1-3%, improving quality, overcoming challenges of weather conditions and allowing overlap of site preparation and building phases.

The new green homes are due for completion in September 2022.

Joel Owen, FCHO Director of Development said: “As in many other parts of the country, there’s a shortage of affordable housing locally and we’re working hard to address this.

“MultiBuild UK’s modular system is helping us bring forward at pace more energy efficient, social homes that will make a difference local people and futureproof our stock, and I’m delighted the approach has been shortlisted for this award.”

Alistair Cameron, Managing Director at MultiBuild UK said: “The Stephenson Street scheme is a strong example of how we can help developers and housing providers deliver sustainable new homes and overcome challenges relating to costs, high-density residential areas, difficult topography, historic use of brownfield sites, site safety and quality which may otherwise impact viability and deliverability of low volume schemes. We’re pleased to be partnering with FCHO on this scheme and to be up for this award.”

Winners of the Northern Housing Awards will be announced on 17 May 2022.